The present invention relates to a collapsible display stand for use in merchandising products, and more particularly to a collapsible display stand having a multiple box structure wherein a plurality of display boxes are fixedly stacked one on top of another in a stair-like fashion. The stair-like multiple box structure can be set up easily from a flat collapsed condition and is supported in a tilted manner to form a clearly visible display which utilizes floor space effectively to provide a maximum display area.
Many types of display stands are commercially used to merchandise products. Some of these display stands are made of articulated panel material, such as corrugated cardboard, and are frequently shipped in a collapsed condition to retail stores where they are assembled to form erected display stands.
One such display stand is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,726,476 wherein a collapsible base structure is hingedly connected to a display tray. During shipment and transportation, the base structure alone is folded flat underneath the display tray while the tray itself is used in a square set up condition as a shipping container. At a display site, the display stand is set up by lifting the tray followed by unfolding the base structure. The fully assembled display stand has a rather plain appearance with the single display tray although the tray is supported in a tilted manner on top of the erected base.
A display stand having plural display trays with a collapsible base structure is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,438,508. The trays of this display stand are arranged upon full assembly in a stair-like fashion. However, the trays during shipment are again used in a set up condition as shipping containers; the trays are not designed to be folded flat for compact storage. In addition, because the trays in display condition are arranged on a lower front to upper rear basis and each tray is tilted toward its rear side, more floor space may be required to install this display stand as the number of trays increases.
What is needed, therefore, is a collapsible display stand for merchandising products. Such a display stand should be of an attention attracting appearance, and have high product capacity while minimizing floor space requirements. Also, such a display stand should have a collapsible displaying portion for accommodating products which is easy to fold into a flat condition for shipment and storage as well as to assemble into a set-up condition for display.